


How To Save a Life

by fratboytomlin



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:16:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1448245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fratboytomlin/pseuds/fratboytomlin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>louis is harry's new roommate in a hospital ward</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Morning, Harry.” A familiar female voice said, pulling Harry from the last winks of sleep that he had left in him. Harry laid in his uncomfortable cot, blinking the sleep from his eyes to see his nurse standing in front of him with a smile on her face, “We have some exciting news for you today.”

“What’s that?” Harry asks, holding out his hand as his nurse, Sophia, shook out two pills into his hand. She handed him a tiny plastic cup of water and waited patiently as he swallowed the pills before dropping the bomb on him.

“You’re getting a new roommate today.” Sophia smiles, trying to ease the pain that this would bring Harry. He had been noticeably torn up since the unfortunate passing of his last roommate and she wasn’t sure how he would take this new information.

Harry’s expression was blank, processing what Sophia had just told him. Within the last year he’d spent in this lonely building, Harry had his fair share of roommates. Harry watched people come and go, some making it out recovered and some not even making it out alive. Either way, Harry felt like a prisoner standing behind bars, watching everyone else go on with their lives or lack thereof.

“What’s he like?” Harry finally asked, lessening the tension in the room that Sophia was feeling. She hummed to herself, setting down Harry’s tray on his bed and reaching for her clipboard, flipping a couple pages until she found what she was looking for.

“Well, he’s a couple years older than you,” She says, skimming through the Doctor’s sloppy handwriting on the form in front of her, “He’s here for extreme anxiety and depression.” Sophia finishes, the sparkle in her eyes vanishing and filling with sadness.

“Oh,” Harry replies sadly, his roommates always seemed to have some sort of mental disorder in the likes of anxiety or depression, which he found out that they were paired with him because he’s being treated for an eating disorder. Sighing, Harry asks, “What’s his name?”

“Louis,” Sophia smiles, straightening up the papers on the clipboard, “He should be here soon, around lunchtime. If you want, you can show him around once he arrives.”

Harry nods, thanking Sophia and watching her exit the room. He sighed, pushing the blankets off of his now-freezing body and letting his feet touch the floor. Harry pulled a pair of sweatpants and his favorite hoodie from his dresser, padding across the hall to the bathrooms to shower. After he took a blazing hot shower and got dressed, he headed down to the cafeteria alone for the last time.

The day went by quickly, Harry eating breakfast with some of the people who are in his therapy group. He went to his first therapy session alone, Liam questioning him on what he ate for breakfast and the other usual questions, but halfway through he took off his glasses and rested them on the desk, asking, “How do you feel about getting a new roommate?”

Awkwardly, Harry bit his lip and tore at his nails under the desk, “I don’t know.”

“You look like you’re feeling something, Harry.” Liam said gingerly, plastering an inviting smile on his face. Liam knew that Harry was usually willing to talk, but it took a couple tries to actually get that to happen. He was always a very shy boy, and after a year here, Liam didn’t understand why he still didn’t feel comfortable around him.

Harry shrugged, bringing his thumb up to his mouth and biting down on the lack of nail, “I can’t explain it, I’m kind of…neutral? I don’t know.”

Liam resituated himself in his chair, clearing his throat, “Does this have anything to do with Ed?”

Harry shivered from the mention of Ed, his last roommate who had unfortunately passed away a couple months ago. After the incident, Harry was an absolute mess about everything. He heard the doctor’s whisper when he walked into the cafeteria or passed the offices, saying that he was close to recovery before Ed’s death. It had absolutely torn him up inside, backfiring him back to his worst state.

The days following his death were dark and empty for Harry, not having someone on the other side of the room to keep him company or sing at night time or to just be a friend. Out of his many roommates, Ed was the only one who actually acted like a friend instead of a stranger that just so happened to be placed alongside Harry.

“Harry? I asked you a question.” Liam said shortly, clasping his hands together on his desk.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry begins to speak, “Sorry, I guess. Maybe.”

Liam let out a sigh, reaching across his desk to pat Harry on the shoulder, “I know it’s tough and you guys were friends, but it’s over now. You may never be able to forget it, but we at least have to move on.”

Nodding, Harry wiped the tear that was begging to fall from his eye, “Thanks Liam, I’m trying. I’m sorry.”

“Hey kid, there’s nothing to apologize for. The death of one of your friends is extremely hard to get over, but you can’t spend your entire life dwelling on death.” Liam says, checking the time on the clock and standing up from his chair, “Louis should be arriving soon, and it’s time for your lunch. How about this,” Liam grabbed a pen and a pad, jotting something down quickly, “Bring your dinner down here and we’ll talk some more, okay?”

“What about my roommate, though? Wouldn’t you want me to stick with him, you know, since he’s new and all?” Harry asked.

Liam smacked himself on the forehead, “Right, right, how could I forget? My fault, sorry, well, I could squeeze you in later tonight, past bedtime, if that’s okay.”

Harry smiled, glad that he wouldn’t have to be there to experience his roommate’s first night, because, well, it was always the toughest. “That’d be great, yeah.”

“Give this to Sophia when you check in tonight.” Liam smiles, crossing out his previous message and rewriting a new one, handing it off to Harry.

“Thanks, see you later.” Harry says and gives Liam a small wave as he walks out of his door. On the other side, he finds himself face to face with another person. Harry gasps and says, “Oh Jesus, sorry.”

“It’s okay.” The other boy stammers out, dashing for Liam’s door handle and disappearing inside. Harry lingers outside the door for a few seconds before shaking his head and walking to the cafeteria.

Harry went through the lunch line that was recommended for the patients who had eating disorders. The meals that they served were packed with nutrients and whatnot to build the body back up to its healthy form. Harry thought they were absolutely repulsive at first, but eventually he got used to the putrid taste of whatever the hell he was eating.

Other than Ed, Harry had other friends also. He spent his meals with two boys named Niall and Zayn, both suffering from personality disorders. They were usually their normal selves around Harry, and sometimes things got a little unpredictable, but Harry knew that they didn’t mean what they said or didn’t say.

Lunch went by fast, Niall and Zayn talking amongst themselves and only stopping once to ask Harry why he wasn’t eating his food, and why he was flicking his peas across his tray. Harry just shrugged, stabbing a pea with his fork and chewing it slowly, giving them a thumbs up before discreetly hiding them behind his milk container.

“I thought we were passed this.” Sophia frowned, resting her hand on Harry’s back. Harry closed his eyes and pursed his lips, Zayn and Niall becoming silent. Sophia gave them a slight smile as she sat down next to Harry, nudging him on the arm, “Can you finish your food for me? Please?”

Harry nods, picking up his fork again and picking up a few peas, placing them on his tongue, and swallowing down the lump in his throat. He can feel his friends and Sophia’s eyes burning through him as he eats, judging his every move. It almost becomes too much for him, but he manages to finish the plate in front of him. Sophia smiles, running her hand through Harry’s curls as she congratulates him like a puppy and takes his tray away.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Sophia hasn’t had to console you through eating since-“ Niall says, cutting of the end of the sentence. Harry looked off to the side, his lips slanting into a frown.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, it’s just that, I’m getting a new roommate. Not a big deal, right?” Harry asks, his voice shaky and nervous as he stifles out a laugh. Zayn and Niall sit in silence, blinking back at him.

“Have you met him?” Zayn asks, taking a swig from his water bottle.

“Not yet, but apparently he’s here. I just don’t know where.” Harry says, poking his head up and searching around the cafeteria for someone who looks like they would be named Louis, “Speaking of, I should probably look for him, see you guys at dinner.”

Right of cue, the bell rings and the cafeteria is filled with bustle, nurses herding their patients in like sheep. They followed the usual routine, the nurses guiding them to where they needed to go next, except this time, Sophia ordered Harry to come with her. She led Harry back to his room, pushing the door open for him and waiting for him to walk in.

Harry’s heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as he entered the room to see a boy sitting cross-legged on the bed opposite of his. Harry took in his pixie-like features, along with his caramel fringe and pink lips. Louis made eye contact with Harry for what felt like ten years, his dull, lifeless blue eyes yearning for something that Harry couldn’t put his finger on.

“This is Louis.” Sophia said, nudging at Harry’s back to push him closer to Louis.

Harry stumbled forward a bit, looking back at Sophia before saying, “Hi, I’m Harry.”

Louis’ expression was blank, but he still managed to curl the corners of his lips up into the tiniest smile Harry had ever seen.

“Louis’ a little shy, maybe it would be nice if you showed him around the place?” Sophia dwelled, nodding at Harry with a smile on her face.

“Would you like that?” Harry asked, giving Louis another wide-lipped grin.

Louis lifted himself off the bed and mumbled, “Sure.”

Harry was smiling so much he thought his face would crack, but he wanted Louis to feel comfortable around him. He remembered his first days weren’t pretty, filled with tear-stained pillows and a feeding tube, and he had no one to go through all that with. So Harry reached out his hand for Louis to hold while he showed him the building, but Louis just stared at it for a couple seconds before Harry stifled out a laugh and played it off as nothing.

As the two boys passed Sophia, she whispered a thank you into Harry’s ear and patted him on his back as he exited the room.

Harry showed Louis around the building, teaching him where all the rooms were and what they were for. To top it off, he showed Louis all the hidden rooms and hiding spots he had stumbled across over the last year.

The room that was most astonishing to Louis was the library. He had been quiet throughout the whole tour, but his tedious eyes brightened when they entered the library and he said, “Look at all these books, Harry.”

“So you’re a bookworm?” Harry asked cheekily, giving the librarian a wave when they walked passed her.

“Somewhat.” Louis replied, enthralled with the rows of books that stood in front of him.

“How about we get you a library card and you can check one out?” Harry requests, watching Louis eagerly turn his head and nod. Harry brought Louis over to the desk, talking with the librarian for a bit while Louis sloppily signs his name on the little periwinkle card. The librarian explained the details to him, letting him know how many books he could check out and what how long the due dates extended to. Harry smiled to himself as he watched Louis anxiously flip the card back and forth in his hands while he grinned at the librarian.

Seconds later, Louis was dashing between the bookshelves to find something that fit his taste. Harry stood on the sidelines, telling him beforehand that if he needed any help that he could just ask for him, but so far, he seemed to be doing pretty well on his own. He came back about five minutes later with a tattered book in his hand, showing the cover off to Harry.

“ _Alice in Wonderland,_ I think I’ve read that before.” Harry ponders, taking Louis back to the main desk.

“One of my favorites.” Louis says shortly, watching the librarian scan his book. She stamped a date on the book, handing it off to Louis with a grin and giving them her greetings.

Harry checked the time on the clock, saying, “We have the same schedule since you’re my roommate, so we’ll be going to the same places together. We have to be at our therapy session in about fifteen minutes. Let’s go take your book back to our room, yeah?” Harry asks. Louis nods, following behind Harry as they walked down the puzzling hallways back to their room. Louis carefully places his library book on the nightstand, trailing behind Harry like a lost puppy as he shows them where their next destination is.

When they arrive, most of the people are seated on the floor in their usual circle already. Harry points the people out, telling Louis their names and a bit about them. Louis nods along, storing the information away in his mind.

Liam came out of his door, the patients in the room immediately becoming quiet. Harry noticed Sophia sliding out of his room also, eyeing her as she strolled passed him without making eye contact and out of the offices completely. “Good evening,” Liam greeted, about a dozen smiling faces answered back politely, and he continued, “We have someone knew here today, Louis, if you will, could you give us a bit of an introduction?”

Louis panicked, his mouth going dry and his body prickling with sweat. He shook his head remorsefully, avoiding eye contact with Liam. Liam sighed, “Alright, well, this is Louis, and he’s here for severe depression and anxiety.” Louis shuddered as Liam announced this out loud, afraid that the other people might judge him for his issues. To his surprise, no one laughed or gave him off looks, the others looked somewhat _understanding_. Liam continued, “Can we welcome him?”

Louis was greeted with an array of salutations, not looking up or making a sound because he was afraid of these people, he had never met them before and they already knew the deepest parts of him. This was all a scary experience to him because he didn’t even want to be here right now, but he was forced here through no fault of his own.

“So, who wants to start? Let’s just get whatever is on our minds out into the open.” Liam asks, waiting for someone to take up the offer.

“I can start.” A girl named Jade says, Liam grinning back at her as she begins to speak, “I’m really glad that someone else with anxiety is in our group now so I don’t feel so alone.” Jade glances over to Louis, giving him a smile.

“That’s great, Jade, let’s just hope you weren’t saying you were glad he has anxiety.” Liam says, making Jade laugh awkwardly and then changing the subject, “Anyone else?”

Harry raised his hand up halfway, “There’s something I could talk about, I guess.”

“Good, good, let’s hear it.” Liam says, not quite sure what to expect.

Biting his lip, Harry hesitated a bit before speaking, “Well, today I got a new roommate and he’s pretty great but,” Harry swallows, inhaling a large breath to prepare himself to speak the words he was wanting to, “It reminds me of my last roommate and we all know what happened to him.”

The entire room got quiet, the only sound coming from the broken down air conditioner that Liam keeps insisting that he’s going to fix. Louis wants to ask why everyone sounds so sad, but he assumes that something bad must of happened to Harry’s last roommate. For some reason, that makes Louis feel horrible about himself, like he’s the reason that something happened to him. He knew it was absolutely irrational, but he couldn’t help but think that in the back of his mind.

“Hopefully nothing bad with happen to Louis though, so let’s be thankful for that, but I can understand you being worried, Harry. It’s hard to go through.” Liam assures, discreetly tapping his wrist as a reminder to Harry about later.

“Yes sir, you told me that earlier.” Harry nods, a slight grin on his face.

“Okay, anyone else?” Liam looks around, waiting for any more takers. When no one replies, he begins the session he had planned.

After the therapy session had ended, Harry took Louis down to the dining hall for their dinner. It was their first meal together and quite honestly, Harry was nervous. He wasn’t even able to eat his peas at lunch just thinking about the fact that he was getting a new roommate, but now that he actually had one? Harry had no idea how he would survive this.

When they got into the dining hall, Harry pointed out Zayn and Niall to Louis, “See those two guys over there? You can get your lunch with them and I’ll meet you at the table with them.”

Louis’ eyes widened and he began shaking his head vigorously, “I-I can’t do that. Can’t I go with you?”

Harry mentally slapped himself, remember that Louis had anxiety and probably couldn’t go up to someone new and start talking like it was nothing. “Right, sorry. Um, I have to go through this line because this is where the patients with eating disorders go, and the other patients go over there. I would let you come with me, but I don’t know if that’s allowed.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I can manage getting food by myself, I guess.” Louis says, his voice falling into a whisper. Louis trudges away to the other line, and Harry can almost see his hands shaking as he picks up the tray.

Harry frowns, watching the disgusting food being thrown onto his tray like slop. For his dinner, they were having turkey sandwiches with a side of apples and of course-peas. Harry groaned as he dreadfully placed the bowl of the tiny green villains onto his tray.

Thankfully, Louis was still in line by time Harry got to the table. Zayn and Niall were already seated, thirsty for details on his new roommate.

“What’s he like?” Niall asked, his eyes wide and ready to indulge himself in gossip. Oddly enough, Niall was quite the gossip king of the three.

“A little shy, but that’s because of the anxiety I guess.” Harry replied, not wanting to give out too much detail. He knew how much he hated when people ousted him on his eating disorder when he first got to the hospital, like they were revealing the biggest part of him to everyone. Harry saw him walking their way, so he let out a quick, “Here he comes.”

Louis sat down next to Harry, averting his eyes at Zayn and Niall before looking down at his tray again. Harry huffed out a breath, regaining the happy look that’s been plastered on his face all day and saying, “Louis, this is Zayn and Niall.”

“Hi!” Niall said excitedly, giving Louis a little wave. In return, Louis looked up from his tray for a second and gave him a close-mouthed smile.

Zayn was quite shy himself at times, barely acknowledging the boy in front of him. Louis didn’t even notice though, and honestly, he wanted to. He wanted to get to know these people and talk to them a lot but he just _couldn’t_.

The four of them ate their lunch in almost complete silence, except for Niall butting in every once in a while to ask Harry or Zayn something to lighten the mood. Harry was twiddling with the food on his tray again, barely even taking a bite of what was in front of him.

“Does anyone want these peas?” Harry asked courageously, shoving them to the far corner of his tray.

Zayn sighed, “I would offer but you’re not supposed to do that, Harry. Remember what happened last time? We all got in trouble.”

“Yeah, we’re supposed to making sure you eat.” Niall added in, taking a sip from his water bottle.

“Sophia’s already been here once today, don’t make her come again.” Zayn finished, picking up his empty tray and taking it to the trash can. Harry watched him dump the empty styrofoam plates and bowls into the bin, silently wishing he could do the same.

Giving up, Harry grabbed his spoon and shoved an entire spoonful of peas into his mouth. Since he was chewing slowly, he had enough time to savior the disgusting taste of the green vegetables. The taste was enough to make him want to spit them back out, but he was used to it now, even if they did taste like body waste.

Niall watched Harry finish his food, Louis’ food gone about ten minutes before Harry’s was. The bell had rung and Sophia had come by the table, but Niall informed her that they were making sure Harry ate. Sophia smiled proudly when she heard this news, returning back to her own table and watching them every time she had the chance.

About ten minutes later, Harry was full to the point where he felt like he could throw up. Niall felt like he achieved something though, glad his best friend was eating again without the help of his nurse. Sophia guided the three out of the dining hall, Niall giving his goodbyes as he went to his own room.

Once they were back to their room, Sophia gave them their medications and she was on her way. At first, it was a struggle to give Louis his first dosage, but he seemed alright after a while.

After Sophia left, the room was quiet. Louis was laying sideways on his bed, reading the first pages of his library book, and in a totally non-creepy way, Harry was taking him in. Harry thought he was absolutely gorgeous, with his tanned skin and his feminine features. The most lovely part about him were his baby blue eyes which looked so lifeless, but something inside Harry wanted to be the one to restore the shine in them.

“I’ve never read that book before.” Harry announces, watching Louis lift his eyes from the page he was on, a look of shock on his face.

“It’s a classic, Harry.” Louis said, his British accent clear enough to where Harry could even see it in his face.

“I’ve seen the movie a couple times, but never read the book.” Harry states.

“Well we can’t both read the book.” Louis says sassily, rolling over onto his back.

Harry ponders a bit, asking, “Maybe you could read it to me?”

Louis looks over at him again, a look of worry on his face, “I-I don’t think-“

“It could help your anxiety heal faster.” Harry replies quickly, cutting Louis off mid-sentence. This makes Louis think a bit, sighing and flipping back a few pages. Harry’s heart swells as Louis begins to read the book out loud to him. Lost in his words, Harry forgets about everything, about Ed, about being nervous around Louis, and about his appointment with Liam that he’s missing right now. He just falls asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

“So why did you miss your appointment last night? I thought you wanted to talk.” Liam states, rummaging through his filing cabinets in his office. It was the next morning, and Harry had rushed into Liam’s office about ten minutes earlier than his routine appointment to apologize for ditching the night before.

Harry fiddled with the hem of his shirt, saying, “I fell asleep, but Liam, I got Louis to read out loud to me last night. Isn’t that like, hard for people with anxiety?”

Liam shrugs, pulling out random folders and shoving them back into place, “Not really, if they’re safe around the people then it’s just like a conversation between you and I. What I’m saying is that it means he already feels comfortable around you. Say, how did he act around Zayn and Niall yesterday?”

“Really shy, and when I told him to go in the lunch line with them, he wanted to stay with me. I don’t know if that means anything but-“

“That means a lot, Harry,” Liam cut him off, “He became attached to you so quickly it seems. Louis isn’t even giving anyone else a chance.”

Harry repositioned himself in the leather chair, “But why? I was just as much of a stranger as anyone else.”

“Maybe he see something different in you? I don’t know. I would ask him, but he’s been pretty quiet around me also. You could probably get through to him.” Liam replies, finding what he was looking for and returning back to his office seat.

“Probably. What’s that?” Harry asks, straining his eyes to see what Liam was holding.

Liam turned the folder towards Harry, “It’s your folder, and it’s time for us to do your progress check.”

Harry groaned, making a disgruntled face at Liam, “I don’t want to.” He whined like a baby, crossing his arms against his chest. Liam laughed at the gesture, standing up from his seat and motioning him over to the door.

“You know we have to do this to make sure you’re making progress.” Liam stated, even though Harry already knew what it was. He had to do this every few weeks to check his weight and nutrition levels. His last couple of progress checks shouldn’t even have been called _progress_ checks to be honest, so this one would determine his stance.

They walked to Liam’s actual office, resembling the likes of the doctor’s offices Harry would go as a child with the gurney and measuring tools. Harry plopped up on the gurney, already knowing the drill. Liam had the tape measure in his hands, Harry lifting his arms up as Liam wrapped it around him. Liam counted off the numbers out loud, displeased with the result.

When he pulled back, Harry could see the frown on his face, “You’re still exactly the same. Let’s weigh you and see if that’s improved any.” Liam guided Harry over to the scale, balancing it once his bare feet were touching the cold metal. Another upsetting hum escaped the back of Liam’s throat as he jotted down Harry’s weight on his clipboard.

“Well?” Harry asked, concerned by the look on Liam’s face.

Liam laid the clipboard down on the countertop of the room, taking off his wide-framed glasses and rubbing his temples, “You haven’t improved at all since your last checkup. We’re going to have to up your meal variety again.”

“What? No!” Harry shrieked, a lump forming in his throat. He could barely even stomach the amount of food he had now, let alone having anything more added to his daily intake.

“I’m afraid that may be the only option if you don’t get better.” Liam says, leading Harry out of the room.

Harry lets out an aggravated sigh, “I’ll try, I mean, I’m trying, Liam, I promise.”

Liam turns back to face Harry, stopping in the middle of his waiting room, “I know you are, but we’re going to have to try harder. I want you to get better, Harry. That’s my main goal for you right now. I want you to physically and mentally feel great.”

“I understand,” Harry says, biting his lip and looking down at the ground, “Thanks Liam, I appreciate it.” With those last words, Harry was walking away from Liam, away from the office, away from Sophia, just wanting to go _away_.

Sadly, the farthest away he could get was the hallway, Sophia grasping him lightly on the arm. She turned him to face her, wiping the tears he didn’t even realize he was shedding. Within seconds, she was holding him like an injured toddler, letting him sob into her shoulder as she stroked his hair.

It was quite nice to Harry because he considered Sophia to be an older sister figure. He was basically an only child, his sister moving with his father after their parent’s divorce, so Harry felt like Sophia filled the void of a missing family member, and honestly, she was great at it.

After about five minutes of constant sobbing coming from Harry and consoling words from Sophia, Harry was sniffling in his last tear and pulling away from Sophia. Harry noticed how fallen Sophia’s face was, her eyebrows knitted together and her lower lip pouted out.

“Do you think you could tell me what’s bothering you, now?” Sophia asks, worriedly looking around the empty hallway to make sure no one was there.

Harry shrugged, another sob escaping the back of his throat, “I want to get better, Sophia. I’m trying.”

“I know you are,” Sophia smiled, “And I’m extremely proud of you. Liam may not see it, but I do. You’ve come such a long way in the last year. Physically, you may still not be doing well, but you’re a much better person on the inside.”

“Thanks Sophia,” Harry said, his heart swelling up. In that moment, he wanted to ask her about something, but wasn’t sure how she would respond. Deciding it would be polite to ask first, he asked, “Can I get your opinion on something?”

“Depends what it is.” Sophia responds, attentively waiting for Harry’s question.

Harry rethinks his question, and then asks carefully, “Do you think it’s possible for two people to get attached to each other quickly, even if someone has like, social issues?”

“Well, yeah,” Sophia starts, “Some people just, click, you know? Wait, are you talking about Louis?” She asks.

Harry shushes her, lowering his voice, “Maybe. I don’t know, yesterday he acted a lot different around me than with everyone else. Liam said it was because he felt comfortable around me, but I don’t know.”

“Don’t sound so unsure about yourself, from what I saw yesterday you treated him extremely well. You’ve always been good like that, Harry. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be comfortable around you.”

Harry nods, a smile forming on his face without his permission.

“Speaking of Louis, I need to give him his afternoon medications. Can you be a doll and go find him for me?” Sophia asks with a slight grin, Harry agreeing and going on back to his bedroom.

The bedroom was empty, but Harry really wasn’t that surprised. He checked the bathrooms next, still having no luck. Finally, he found him in the library, and Harry almost missed Louis because he was sitting in the far corner, alone, with his book resting on his knees.

Harry can’t help but frown when he sees Louis isolating himself from everyone else, his body tensed up and his fingers wrapped tightly around the book he was reading. Somehow, Harry got his attention from far away, Louis setting down his book and grinning widely at him.

“Hey, Lou.” Harry says, sitting down across from him.

Louis is still making eye contact with him, taking in Harry’s pretty features as he crosses his legs and sits down. He barely even noticed that Harry said anything because he was too busy staring, Louis feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he tries to recall what he said.

“Oh, hi.” Louis responds lamely, his cheeks still burning a pinkish color.

“Sophia sent me to get you, so you could take your medicine.” Harry says, watching Louis’ face fall a little, but still pink in color.

Louis picks his book back up, “Oh.” He says, lifting himself off the ground.

“Everything alright?” Harry asks, wondering why he was acting so different from the day before.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks.” Louis replies, Harry shrugging and standing up with him, “Could you come with me? I mean, to go find Sophia.”

“That’s what I was planning on.” Harry responds, giving Louis a certain look that made his heart feel heavy in his chest.

Not knowing how to react, Louis forces a laugh that he hopes Harry finds cute. As usual, Louis trails behind Harry like a little kitten to wherever they’re going. Louis is pretty sure that they’re going back to Liam’s offices, because he had been through this hallway twice the day before. He smiles to himself, glad that he’s starting to figure out where everything is. Hell, it took him ten minutes to find the library, and that was the most treasurable place to him.

As Louis expected, Sophia was in Liam’s offices. She gave him a warm welcome when he entered, Louis tensing up from her immense stares. Sophia poured the pills out into his hand and gave him a cup of water, watching him swallow them down and taking the cup back. Louis muttered out a quiet ‘thank you’ to her, turning around to leave, but stopping short to see Harry standing there. Honestly, it knocks the wind out of him because he really didn’t expect Harry to stay.

“I didn’t really expect you to stay.” Louis breathes out, the corners of his mouth curling up.

Harry cocks his head to the right, confused, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“People usually don’t wait up for me.” Louis shrugs, looking off his right shoulder to make sure no one was listening.

“I wouldn’t leave you here alone,” Harry states, “Unless you wanted me to…”

“No!” Louis yells, then reddening from his awkward outburst, “I mean, no, I like when you’re around.” Louis shuts his eyes in embarrassment, shaking his head at himself.

“Good, because I like it when you’re around too.” Harry responds, Louis opening his eyes, not even being able to comprehend what Harry just said. Louis didn’t understand why Harry didn’t find what he just said extremely odd, or more importantly, the fact that he like Louis’ company.

They spent the rest of the day together, Harry getting Louis used to the routines of his new life. They ate their meals together, Louis trying not to notice Harry uncomfortably forcing himself to eat whatever was on his plate. During conversation, Louis tried to insert his input, but felt this irrational fear fill his body every time he went to open his mouth. It had always been like this with people he wasn’t usually around, but he had to accept that these were going to be his new friends.

About halfway through with dinner, Louis excused himself, dumping his tray, and leaving the room, tears threatening to leave his eyes. He didn’t know what came over him, maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to even talk to Niall or Zayn, or that Harry was still barely touching his food, or maybe he was just upset about even _being_ here.

By time Louis reached the hallway, he had just noticed the hand that was grasping around his bicep. Louis gasped, whipping around and jerking away from the person. Harry looked back at him, panting, “Are you alright, Lou?”

Embarrassed, Louis wiped the tear that was involuntary falling from his eye. He shrugged, his body becoming cold, chills running through his body. A sickening feeling began to form in Louis’ stomach again, fear pooling in his stomach.

“Louis talk to me.” Harry tried again, lightly touching Louis’ arm.

Thrashing away, Louis shakily cried out, “Please don’t touch me.”

“Okay, okay, what can I do? I want to help you Louis…“ Harry said hopelessly, watching Louis in front of him. The dull look returned to his broken eyes, unwanted tears still falling down his paling cheeks.

“I don’t even know myself! Hold me!” Louis yelled out, lunging towards Harry and wrapping his arms around him. Confused, Harry held him in his arms, letting his cry and shake and whimper and whatever else he was doing into his shirt. In attempt to comfort him, Harry began rubbing circles on his back.

Sophia exited the cafeteria, pushing through the doors, yelling, “Harry, what the hell? You can’t just-oh.”

Harry tried to pull back from Louis, but he held him closer.

“Is Louis alright?” Sophia asked, carefully walking towards the two of them.

“I-I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.” Harry whispers out, Louis’ sobs almost drowning out his voice.”

“Here, let me.” Sophia says, attempting to intervene.

Louis raises his head a little, gripping Harry’s shirt tightly, “Please, no! I want Harry to stay with me.”

Sophia gives Harry a knowing look, turning her attention back to Louis, “Harry’s going to come with, come on, I’m going to take you to Liam’s office so you can calm down, alright? It’s just an anxiety attack, you’re going to be okay.”

Louis nods at Sophia’s measurement, detaching himself from Harry and taking her hand as they walk to Liam’s office. Harry follows close behind, trying to catch up with Sophia’s fast pace.

By time Harry caught up with Sophia and Louis, he was inside one of Liam’s patient rooms. Louis laying on the futon in the corner, wrapped in a blanket, and taking a glass of water from Sophia. Harry strolled over to Louis, crouching down next to the cot, and grabbed his hand. This gesture almost made Louis choke on his water at first, but then it was quite nice.

It took Louis about twenty minutes to return to his normal state, his body temperature returning to normal and the unstoppable shaking, well, stopped. Sophia was still lingering, not in a hovering sort of way, but just to make sure Louis was calming down alright. Harry continued to question him worriedly every two minutes or so, squeezing his hand for a second and asking how he was feeling. Louis would usually nod, squeaking out a response.

“Are you feeling better now?” Harry asks for the last time, rubbing his thumb along Louis’ forefinger.

“Completely.” Louis replies, giving Harry a look that warmed his heart.

Hearing this, Sophia turned her full attention back to the boy, “Any idea what caused it?”

“I don’t know,” Louis shrugs, “I was feeling pretty down at lunch.”

“Why?” Sophia prods.

Louis bites his lip, looking over at Harry nervously before answering, “I felt uncomfortable around Harry’s friends.”

“Hopefully we can help you get over that soon, right?” Sophia says, then coming to a realization, “You know, this could actually have been a reaction to your new medication. It’s possible your symptoms could get worse before they get better.”

Louis scoffs, “Would have been nice if you told me that ahead of time, wouldn’t it?”

Sophia pursed her lips in response to Louis’ question, changing the subject, “How about we get you out of here now? I doubt you want to stay in here for the rest of the night.”

“That would be wonderful, thanks.” Louis grits through his teeth, the sarcasm still apparent in his voice. Harry stifles out a nervous laugh, letting go of Louis’ hand as he stands up from the bed. They walk passed Sophia, her face unreadable as she stares through Louis. Harry tries to ease the tension with a smile, but it fails.

Harry’s mind is clouding with questions as him and Louis return back to their bedroom, wondering why his mood had changed so drastically. Louis went from acting like a needy and helpless puppy to one of those rude, preppy kids that teased you at school. Harry wanted to ask, but he decided against it, grabbing a pair of pajamas from his drawer and taking them to the bathroom so he could shower and change.

When Harry came back to his room, Louis was laying on top of his bed with his face buried in the pillows. Judging by the whimpers and sobs coming from his side of the room, Harry assumed that he was upset about something. Not knowing if it was okay, Harry rested his hand on Louis’ back, making him gasp and look over his shoulder at him.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asks, mimicking the circular rotation that he used earlier to calm Louis down.

Louis sniffled, rubbing his eyes, “A better question would be ‘what’s right’.”

“Well, a lot of things are right.” Harry says lamely, not sure how to respond to Louis’ statement. Louis groans, flipping back face down on his bed. Harry tries to attempt to talk to him again, but hesitates and goes to his own bed, tucking himself in under the covers.

It was about ten minutes until Harry heard anything come from the other side of the room, Louis exhaling deeply and stating, “t’s cold.”

Harry ruffled in the bed across the room, laying on his side to face Louis, “I think its fine in here, but you can take one of my blankets if you want.”

Louis sat up, shrugging at Harry’s offer, “But I don’t want you to be cold either.”

“Oh I don’t mind, you need it more than I do.” Harry offers again, making Louis smile a bit in the darkness. Louis sighs, scooting over in the tiny twin-sized bed, “Or you could come sleep with me, you know, for body heat.”

Louis’ ears perked up, nervous flutters forming in the pit of his stomach, “Can I bring my blankets?”

Harry sighed, “Yes, sure, of course. Just get over here before you freeze to death.”

The floor was cold as Louis’ feet touched down on it, sending cold chills up and down his limbs as he shuffled across the room to Harry’s bed. Louis plopped the blankets down on the bed, pulling them every which way so they would cover them both. He climbed onto the cot next to Harry, their arms awkwardly touching in the tight space.

“You don’t have to be shy, c’mere.” Harry insisted, positioning his arm around Louis and pulling him closer. Louis squirms uncomfortably into Harry, feeling the weight of his arm hold them together. “Is this okay?” Harry asks, his voice a low whisper.

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Louis states, situating himself so he fits into Harry’s body shape. And it does feel nice, it’s been a long time since he’s had any type of affection from anyone besides his doctors and nurses, both here and at home.

Harry also liked having someone that acknowledged you and wanted to make you feel comfortable was really different from his previous roommates. The last person he was roomed with was extremely socially anxious and got nervous every time Harry was in the room with him, so having this change was nice.

Harry buried his head into Louis’ shoulder, trying his best to cuddle his lankier body into Louis’ shorter figure. But, Louis is careful himself, knowing how frail Harry is and he’s afraid he could break him at the touch. He often wondered how Harry could think that being so thin could be healthy, but he didn’t understand eating disorders at all, and Louis didn’t want to seem rude when he asked.

Minutes passed before Harry tried to fall asleep himself, waiting for Louis to drift off first. Harry waited patiently to make sure that he was asleep because he was afraid that Louis might change his mind. Louis noticed that Harry whimpered in his sleep, squirming around and pulling Louis closer with his long limbs. Louis’ heart fluttered at the fact that it seemed like someone actually wanted him for once in his life.

A half hour later, Louis’ eyelids were drooping shut and his mind was clearing of his thoughts. He couldn’t stop imagining ‘what ifs’ and far-fetched scenarios in his head, but that was a pretty normal thing for Louis. He used to stay up for hours, worrying about problems that were non-existent and irrelevant to his life, but Louis couldn’t help it.

Eventually, Louis drifted off into a comfortable sleep, his new roommate holding him close and falling asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in a while.


End file.
